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==Sweden== |
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Eh is in Sweden most commonly used as a way of filling out a sentence when speaking, usually when the person talking has not yet come up with a way of continuing what he/she just said; "there's much, eh, difficulties in Palestine" |
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==Similar terms in other languages==<!-- This section is linked from [[Pinyin]] --> |
==Similar terms in other languages==<!-- This section is linked from [[Pinyin]] --> |
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Revision as of 10:01, 9 July 2008
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2006) |
Eh (Template:PronEng or /ˈɛ/ in English) is a spoken interjection in Japanese, English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese meaning "Huh?", "What?", "Hey", "Repeat that, please", or "That which I just said, is it not true?". It is also commonly used as a method for inciting an answer, as in "those trees are ugly, eh?" In English, it is most commonly associated with Canada.
It is an invariant question tag, unlike the "is it?" and "have you?" tags that have, with the insertion of not, different construction in positive and negative questions.
There is some question about the origin of the term, a popular theory is that the "eh" sound is similar to the "ey" sound that a native French speaker will stereotypically say when pronouncing the word "Hey". Dropped H's are also common to many British dialects.
Awamia,Khoildia, Lebanon & Syria
Eh "يعني زي إيه" is also used in Awamia,Khoildia, Lebanon and Syria with the meaning of "Yes" to agree about something
Similar terms in other languages
Japanese "Hee?" is a common exclamation in Japanese and is used to express surprise. It is also used when the listener did not fully understand or hear what the speaker said. It can be lengthened to show greater surprise (e.g. Heeeeee?!). "nee/ne?/naa" are extremely similar to the Canadian "eh," being statement ending particles which solicit or assume agreement, confirmation, or comprehension on the part of the listener.
In Mandarin Chinese, eh (誒 in pinyin: ê4) is a relatively infrequently used exclamation expressing disappointment or affirmation.
Eh is also used in Italian spoken language to express surprise or misunderstanding, but also as a general word for turning an affirmation into a question. In southern Italy, éh is used to reconfirm a statement after someone else denies it, like 'Yes you do' or 'Yes it is'
"Hein" is used in French and in Brazilian Portuguese in much the same way as in English.
Hain is used in Mauritian Creole and it can express a variety of ideas. It is generally used in context of a conversation and is generally interpreted very quickly.